Bonding
by Godentine
Summary: In the depth of his misery and torment at the hands of the villagers, Naruto sees a young girl similarly abused by them. Hoping to find comradeship in her, he follows as she runs. And as it turns out, its just what the both of them needed. Oneshot


Bonding

Disclaimer : I AM Sagazlegend and I don't own Naruto

Okay - This oneshot, Bonding, was originally written by User : Sagazlegend as the first chapter of Snake Sannin. While I have the rest of the chapters, I don't feel that I want to proceed with the story at this point, so I'll be posting the first chapter as a stand-alone. There will be no changes to that chapter.

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**Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto ****  
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There was a lone swing sitting outside the acadamy. There was that lonely swing. A breathe of wind, who shook it from stillness, gave it life, and yet it was still. Life-less.

Like the boy who sat on the swing. He was alone. A lonely boy. A breathe of life, who shook him from stillness, gave it animation, and yet it was still. Life-less.

His name was Naruto. The boy and his grime covered face. He sat still looking at his hands. Haze covered his blue-eyes. For he was thinking, why was life still in him? Why was he in animation? And why did he feel lifeless. A hell. A mask. A cheerfulness he showed that never was. But always there.

Self-doubt creeped on to the desolate boy. He questioned him self :

_Who are you?_

They say brat, monster, demon

_Are you truly?_

Never was, never will

_Who are they?_

The people, the village

_Who are you?_

Me, my own person.

_Why are you?_

I am me, nothing more, a shadow of who I am, no reason to be here, no-one to acknowledge me. An unwanted person.

_Then who are you?_

A mask of my self.

_Masking what?_

Who I am, What I feel.

_What do you feel?_

A loneliness so painful, an ability so wonderous, a strength so limitless. And yet I am Me.

_You are you?_

I am me, the brat, the monster, the demon.

_**For I am Uzumaki Naruto, Demon, Monster and Brat of Konoha**_

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Anko walked through the streets, villagers pointing jeering at her, like she was...a monster. She bore it with gritted teeth, a wounded heart and a fragmented soul. She walked down the streets of Konoha, her face immpassive, to all except for another monster, one who sat on a swing, looking lost. Another tortured being. Another beleaguered sprit.

One Uzumaki Naruto, one Mitarashi Anko, both monsters, demons, and brats. A mar to society.

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Naruto looked at the teen as she walked along. Purple-hair, a trench coat, and a tooth pick between her teeth, with a false smile on her face. The smile was so much like his...was she a monster too? Naruto got off his swing and took his matted teddy bear, and followed her, like a lost puppy, lost in the discrimination of society.

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Anko, being a ninja trained by a Sannin, noted a small figure, following her, dressed in rags, holding a small stuffed animal. But the eyes he had bore pain, suffering and a hell only named as loneliness. A child who held the same grief as her. She quickened her pace, hoping to get away from the child, who so much resembled her self. An act of denial, of herself, of her past, of her present and of her future.

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Naruto looked on with sad eyes as he stopped running. The girl was running away from him. Was he really a monster? Just like the villagers claimed? No, he wasn't right? Hugging his teddy tighter, Naruto sprinted after her, faster and faster, hoping for someone to acknowledge him.

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Anko turned a corner and slowed as she saw a mob of villagers ahead. Once again, they had wooden pikes, pitchforks, clubs, knives and even silverware, and were looking for blood.

"Oi," one called, "Theres that snake's bitch! GET HER!".

Anko ran again, backwards this time, and tripped over Naruto and knocked him over. The teen and the child fell down, as the mob started approaching. "Ha! So the monster is consorting with the demon! GET THE TWO TRAITORS!"

Naruto looked at the girl, oblivious to the obvious danger. 'She really is like me,' he thought, 'a monster.'

Anko latched on to Naruto's shirt, dragging him, as she started to run.

Before she could take more than two steps, two Anbu members came, as Naruto held on to Anko's trenchcoat, as a life line, to the one person in Konoha besides the Hokage, who he might relate, who might care.

The Bird Anbu raised his hand and shooed the mob off, and as the mob receded back into their homes, Naruto looked up at Anko, his cloudy blue eyes looking into her shadowed purple ones. (I don't give what Anko's real eye-color is)

He spoke slowly, "You're a monster...just like me, aren't you?"

Anko looked down at the pitiful sight and sighed, "What do they call?"

Naruto flashed a smirk and said, suddenly cheerfully, "Brat!"

Anko twitched, "What else?"

Naruto grinned, "Monster!"

Anko's lips pursed, "Anything else?"

Naruto smiled again, "Demon!"

Anko popped a vein, "Dammit whats your name kid?"

Naruto sighed, "Uzumaki Naruto, Demon, Monster and Brat of Konoha."

Anko finally grinned. "Mitarashi Anko, snake, monster and traitor of Konoha."

The pair grinned at each other until Naruto looked away. He stuttered, "Ano...if I can, do you think I can, ano...play with you later?"

Anko smiled, a real smile, "Yeah, of course you can kid, if you see me around town."

Naruto squealed as his hazy eyes suddenly glittered with light and hugged the 'evil snake girl', making her blush, and said, "Thank you soooo much Anko-Chan!"

Anko smiled serenely, as if trapped in time with a boy in her arms. It was odd, a ray of sunshine, breaking through the fog of hate and disdain that ruled her life.

It was odd how simple and lovely such a simple gift could be. The emotion, of happiness.

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